Unless otherwise indicated herein, the description in this section is not prior art to the claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
An image processing apparatus, such as a scanner, copier, and a multi-functional peripheral, includes an image reading sensor to obtain images on documents. There has been proposed an image processing apparatus that includes an RGB color sensor and a BW monochrome sensor as the image reading sensors. Such image processing apparatus, for example, uses not the RGB color sensor but the BW monochrome sensor for monochrome output to achieve high-speed reading operation and high-speed image processing.
However, for example, when reading a color document including a fluorescent color, such as a highlighter with a monochrome sensor, some pieces of information in blue and red bands are lost. As a result, tone reproducibility is degraded in some cases.
An image processing apparatus that allows a selection of reading images with any of the RGB color sensor and the BW monochrome sensor for monochrome output, is known. With this image processing apparatus, a user can freely select the reading with the RGB color sensor, which ensures high tone reproducibility (The image quality is prioritized.), or the reading with the BW monochrome sensor, which prioritizes the speed.